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Norwegian Cruise Line pricing weak, equity analyst says

By Tom Stieghorst

Norwegian Cruise Line’s prices are sagging, according to SunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst Patrick Scholes, who reduced his 2014 earnings estimate as a result.

“Based on our survey data, we remain concerned about the persistent direction of pricing trends,” said Scholes, who downgraded his recommendation on the stock from “buy” to “neutral.”

Scholes said a periodic survey of pricing done in May showed prices down in the mid-single digits over the next 12 months. Advertised sailings 1-3 months out were down 5% from last year, an improvement from April, but the fifth consecutive month of decline, he said.

Prices for cruises 4-6 months out were down 6.5%, compared with 8% in April, the second month of decline, while prices 7-12 months out were down 6% for the second straight month.

Contributing to the declines was a narrowing of the premium Norwegian gets on its newer ships, Scholes said, with Norwegian Getaway selling for 3-5% less in May than other ships in the fleet that sail to similar destinations.

In addition, Scholes said onboard spending per passenger has been flat to down for three quarters “suggesting either the newer ships are not as productive as planned or the older ships are fading faster than expected.”

He reduced his 2014 earnings estimate to $449 million from $457 million previously.

Norwegian did not have any comment on the report, a spokeswoman said.

Separately, Scholes said Royal Caribbean International is on track to exceed its own forecast of profits for 2014, with pricing up double digits in May, according to survey data. Carnival Corp. prices were up 8% in May from a year earlier, “as the company laps the easy compares that resulted from the Carnival Triumph incident last year,” Scholes said.

Scrubbers planned for six more Norwegian ships

Norwegian Cruise Line sought to restate its commitment to environmental protection this month with the announcement that it will be bringing scrubbers to six more of its ships.

The cruise line’s newest ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, have already been fitted with innovative environmental systems, including ballast water treatment and waste fuel oil recycling.

However, it has also committed to bringing green technologies to the rest of its fleet, in order to meet the demanding emissions targets that are coming into effect for the North American cruise industry in the near future.

To this end, it will fit 28 scrubbers, which help to remove sulfur from the ship’s emissions, on the Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Sun.

In addition to these efforts, Norwegian Cruise Line is also looking at ways to improve the protection of the ocean through more sustainable environmental practices as part of its Eco-Smart Cruising programme.

This extends to rubbish and waste recycling, and any other way that can be identified to minimise the operational impact of its ships on the environment. Last year, the programme reached the following recycling milestones:
– 1,245 tons of cardboard, saving 23,500 trees and enough for 292 million newspapers
– 2,517 tons of scrap metal
– 2,988 tons of glass
– 669 tons of glass

Norwegian Cruise Line promotion: Buy one, get one free

Norwegian Cruise Line promotion: Buy one, get one free

By Tom Stieghorst
Norwegian Getaway 410-232Borrowing from supermarkets, Norwegian Cruise Line has applied the buy-one, get-one-free promotion to a pair of its cruise ships.

Through May 11, anyone booking a seven-day cruise this summer on the Norwegian Breakaway or Getaway, the company’s newest ships, will also get a three- or four-day Bahamas cruise on selected dates this fall or winter on Norwegian Sky, one of its oldest ships.

The promotion, dubbed “Buy Once, Cruise Twice,” has some restrictions.

Holiday dates for the Norwegian Sky are blacked out. The promotion applies to sailings from Sept. 5 to Nov. 21, then from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15 and from Jan. 2 to Feb. 27. The Sky cruise is also nonrefundable and non-transferrable.

Breakaway sails from New York to Bermuda in the summer, while Getaway sails the Caribbean from Miami. Each can carry 4,000 passengers. The 2,000-passenger Norwegian Sky departs from Miami.